One would assume that the wine director at Slanted Door would have a deep-rooted knowledge of Asian cuisine, or at least a palate specifically tailored to pairing wine with exotic, spice-laden foods. But it was little more than a fortuitous meeting that led Mark Ellenbogen to the popular San Francisco restaurant.

"I'd had very little Vietnamese food in my life," he admits with a grin.

After a circuitous route that took him from UC Davis to Europe - through a sherry bodega in Portugal, up to Turin, Italy, and on to his former wife's Barbera estate - Ellenbogen, now 53, was working for the importer Oliver McCrum Wines in Oakland when McCrum met Charles Phan at the bar at Zuni Cafe.

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"Charles said that he was opening a little restaurant," recalls Ellenbogen. "And Oliver said, 'Hey, there's this guy who works for me who would be interested in doing your wine list.' "

It turned out to be a partnership that has lasted more than a dozen years. Through trial, error and a ton of tasting, Ellenbogen crafted a list of 12 obscure and relatively unknown wines for the opening of the original Slanted Door on Valencia Street. Over the years, that list has expanded, and he's discovered a host of untraditional wines - mostly whites - that pair beautifully with Phan's Vietnamese-style cuisine.

Q:What first got you interested in wine?

A: A class I took at UC Davis with Maynard Amerine. He's a legend in the wine world. It was just a basic wine class, but it seemed to me like wine was a curious mix between the technical and the aesthetic. I had gone to UC Davis to study field zoology and got bored. This sounded more interesting.

Q:I know you only have a handful of California wines on your list at Slanted Door - why is that?

A: This is the quintessential cool-weather viticultural food, and it tends to go better with wines with low alcohol and moderate acidity without much oak influence. You can have a nice, balanced fruity California wine, and often, when you put it with Vietnamese ingredients, it tends to taste bitter or tannic. Many of the wines are unsuited because of the way the food modifies them.

Q:We've heard that you won't put a wine with alcohol levels above 14 percent on your list. Is that true?

A: No, it's not true. But I generally wouldn't, or at least I try not to the best I can. I try to buy more heavily in cooler vintages. It just goes better with the food. As it happens, with global warming we've had some warmer vintages, so a couple of the wines are over 14 percent. But even if the alcohol seems balanced, it won't taste that way with the food if it's high (in alcohol). If it's high, it's bad - really unpleasant. Most people wouldn't add habaneros to hot food. It's kind of like that.

Q:It seems like you're particularly drawn to producers that farm organically or biodynamically - is that something you really look for?

A: Absolutely. I think it's really important, purely from the perspective of preserving the environment. Also, I think you just get better wine when you farm organically and biodynamically. The proof is in the pudding. With both wine and food, it's really about a sense of place, and with biodynamic farming, there is a complexity and clarity to the fruit. It's pure and ripe without being big. I would certainly never put a California wine on the list that wasn't organic.

Q:What wines do customers order the most of at Slanted Door?

A: Probably ones I wouldn't drink. There's been a shift. When the restaurant was in the Mission, people were more adventurous. Now, with the current location and established crowd, I find that people look for names and marks, what's familiar to them. It's an uphill battle, because people look for New World wines. Some customers will come in who have never had a German or Austrian Riesling, and they'll try it and say, "Who knew that these were the greatest wines with this type of food?" But not everyone is adventurous.

Q:How often are you changing and altering the wine list at Slanted Door?

A: I'm changing it constantly, about twice a week.

Q:What are your favorite food and wine pairings?

A: I'm a vegetarian. Wild mushrooms and Burgundy, for one. I love a good Austrian Gruner Veltliner with a bounty of fresh produce, like grilled vegetables.

Q:If you're a vegetarian, how did that affect your ability to create the wine list for a restaurant that has non-vegetarian dishes?

A: Well, I wasn't in the beginning, so at one point or another, I've tried everything on the menu. It hasn't changed all that much. And the pairing is really more about the sauces, so I can try all of those.

Q:What's the craziest pairing that you've come up with that really works?

A: Most of the list at Slanted Door I never would have thought of. But otherwise, probably something like blood sausage and Gewurztraminer.

Q:What wine do you like to drink when you are going out to restaurants?

A: Jura wines - I like them a lot. If someone has one, especially one I don't know, I like to try it. I also like Trousseau. It has such a nice, charming flavor, it's like a cross between crushed raspberries and watermelon. Also Pineau d'Aunis - it's an old Loire Valley aromatic red grape.

Q:What's your favorite bargain wine?

A: Maybe a Cab Franc from the Loire Valley - like Domaine de la Pépière. Most German wines are also an incredible value.

Q:Do you have a favorite wine shop?

A: Locally, Paul Marcus Wines in Oakland. But my favorite shop anywhere is Chambers Street Wines in New York - no question. It's not just about carrying brands, but really a reflection of the owner's personality and sensibility.

Q:Do you have any favorite spirits?

A: I love eau de vie from Hans Reisetbauer. He's a guy who makes fruit distillates in upper Austria. He makes things like wild cherry and ginger carrot eau de vie. It's really amazing stuff. I also like artisan Calvados, though I don't drink it that much.

Q:Is it true that you like sherry a lot?

A: I think they are incredible wines that are really underrated. When I got to work with sherry years ago, they had some old stocks that you never get to taste here. There's not much in the United States. I think it's hard to get people to drink it here, because they think of it as a grandma wine. I really like old Madeira too - that's great.

Q:How do you feel about corkage?

A: I don't really care. I mean, I think it's weird - you don't go the dentist and bring your own drill. I don't understand why anyone would bring in outside product. But I really don't care. We charge people at the restaurant, but we have no crazy policy. A lot of people actually bring in their own wine: They'll look at our list, won't recognize anything, and they'll go pick something up at Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant - it happens all the time.

Q:What are some of your concerns with the wine industry?

A: Homogenization. I think in less traditional growing areas, people get into trends, and they listen to consultants too much. They're scared of low point scores and low sales. I know winemakers who are even saying they don't trust their own palates anymore. They're driven by sales and not by the product.

Q:Do you have a cellar at home?

A: Not really. I have a closet.

Q:What's the first great wine you remember drinking?

A: Wow. It's been a long time. Probably some Claret, or some Bordeaux. Doesn't everybody kind of start there?